Book Three: Fire
by KDior
Summary: Zuko is battling on the road of penance. The one person that he craves forgiveness from is making it so difficult. Katara fights her attraction for Zuko by consistently repealing herself from him. Will Zuko finally be absolved in the eyes of Katara? Will she give in to what she craves? ZUTARA The Western Air Temple M for upcoming Sexytime
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First story acutally following the storyline of avatar. I used actual transcript from Avatar Wiki. R&R! **

**Ps the song is Siren Song by Bat For Lashes **

**Lyrics are in this format: **_Random Lyric Here_

**Thoughts are in this format:** _Thinking... thinking... (:_

* * *

Zuko:

"So, here you go, home sweet home, I guess, you know, for now." He shifts awkwardly. "Unpack? Lunch, soon? Uhhh... welcome aboard?" Sokka stands by the entrance to the room that was cut into the cliff face as I walk into it. There's just a small bed, a dresser, and a basin for washing but this place seems more at home than I have ever been. I glance back and smile at him, in gratitude for him showing the way down the long corridor and for his acceptance of me. "Yeah..." He shuffles back down the hall. "Okay, this is really, really weird." I hear him say to who I can only suspect was Aang. I sigh softly, "It's going to take a while for them to warm up to me."

_Of course, Toph and Aang have already accepted me with open arms, well I guess Toph just relishes in the fact that she can tourcher me every day for my accidental burning of her feet. The Avatar, on the other hand, has seemed to fully accept me, almost graciously. I can't help but to smile at that. I can't believe it has been three long years since I have journied here, on my vicious pursuit of the young monk._

* * *

My eye was throbbing. Through the bandages, I can feel it pulsating. I can feel the skin flaking off faster than it can repair it's self. A scar. That's going to leave it's mark. The mark of my shame, I deserve it. The thoughts ripped through me, and I stifle a sob. You are a disgrace! I hear Uncle waddling along behind me. "If I have to, I will spend everyday of the rest of my life hunting the Avatar. I know it's my destiny to capture him." I don't even turn to face him, not trusting my eyes.

Uncle puts his hand on my shoulder. "You know Prince Zuko, destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind, and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday."

* * *

Then, I reply with a disgruntled, smart ass remark, ignoring my uncle's wisdom. How he was right. I think, smiling at the memory. I unpack my heavy bag, putting all my clothes in the dresser. A small device topples onto the floor from the bottom of the bag. My radio! I had almost forgoten I had it. Mai got it for me in honor of my return to the Fire Nation. I smirk again, remembering us dancing in the moonlight on Ember Island, listening to it and the ocean. That's not the best memory from that night. I can't help flushing thinking of us, having sex in the sea caves.

I fish my hand down inside of the bag checking for anything I might have missed. "Uncle." I pull out the portrait of him, drawn just before the siege of Ba Sing Se. His image chases away the lusty thoughts of Mai. _I'm so sorry Uncle._ Tears begin to form in the corners of my eyes, but before they can roll down my cheeks, I hear a slight tapping at the door over the sounds of the music.

_Till the siren come calling, calling_

Katara stands at my doorway, leaving on the frame. Her lips are pursed, and her eyes are slanted and storming. _How long has she been there?_ I wonder, embarresed. Has she come to tell me that she accepts me into the group? A half-smile grows across my face, spreading like wildfire. "You might have everyone else here buying your... transformation," She pauses as she walces across the room. She is like a Jaguar-Gazelle, beautiful yet so dangerous. "but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past." She grabs me by the collar, points in my face, her long nail millimeters away from my scarred eye.

_It's driving me evil, evil_

"So let me tell you something, right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends... right then and there. Permanently." She lets her nail stab into my face, and I physically shudder, both from fear and from something else, unreconisable.

_I was a heart breaker, I loved you_

She releases me from her clutches, and she stomps off towards the door. "Wait!" I grab her wrist. Her eyes go wild, staring at my grip. I might have imagined it, but I'm pretty sure I heard her growl. "What can I do to fix this?"

"How about you reconcore Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King? Maybe stop Zhao from killing Yue? Even better! Bring back my mother!" Her words sting me, diving straight into my regrets. I let go of her wrist, and she stomps out the door. She slams it shut behind her, shaking the whole room. I sigh, flopping back onto my bed, but already I know I won't get a moments rest tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ugh!" I growl. "I can not sleep!" It is a few hours after my encounter with Katara, and I can't help replaying everything she did while she was in my presence. She was shaking, she was so angry. I could see it even in the dim light of the moon. It's like her hatred of me was in such a magnitude that it was physically expelling itself from her body in an attempt to keep her from exploding.

"Why is it so hard being good?" I wonder aloud. Annoyed with my insomnia, I snatch the radio from my dresser and head down the hallway. After a while of walking I quickly realize I'm lost. "Of course the Air Nomads had to build a maze!" I huff, exasperated. "All I want to do is go out-" I stop the mumblings to myself short when I stumble into blackness. I growl, irritated by the sudden darkness and light a torch in my palm. "Wow." I breathe, taking in my surroundings.

In front of me a giant waterfall rushes from the cliffs, swirling into two pools that flow in two different directions. Looking up, I can see that there is a small, circular exit in the ceiling, but it is too far up to climb in the dark. I allow the flame expand, revealing the shining walls to me. They are made of a hard black rock that I have never seen before, and it is encrusted in many blue crystals. "Beautiful." I say out loud, awed by the sight.

As I move around the room, I bump into a portable torch that has long been extinguished. "Lets see.." I talk to myself, as I find little pieces of kindling to put in the glass. When done, I light it, and the room is partly lit. The flicking flames soothe me and I sit down in the lush grass. How has this not grown in a hundred years? I wonder, feeling the downy soft fibers with my palm. I sit the lantern on a smooth rock and turn on my radio. The silky voice of a woman singing along with a humming man on guitar provide the distraction I need to clear my mind of my problems. So I just close my eyes and meditate.

"How did you find this place?" A silky voice asks me. I can hear the obvious surprise on top of the annoyance in her voice. I don't open my eyes. I just listen. She taps her foot three times impatiently. "Zuko." She warns, inching closer. I try to be still to see what she will do. "Asleep." She hums the word, half in a whisper. It's almost like she questions the idea that I am capable of such a human thing. I feel her sit down close to me, studying me, and I flinch. She gasps, and I scrunch my face in response. "Nightmare. Hmm. He actually has a soul." She grumbles under her breath. I let out mine in a hiss. Why does she have to hate me!

Suddenly, her cool hand brushes across my forehead, causing me to stiffen. "Shh, Zuko. You're okay." Her voice softens as she strokes the long hair on my face. I exhale, relieved. She thinks I'm still asleep. A small smile fizzles across my lips. Maybe she does care for me. She strokes my forehead again, but traces the edges of my scar. I nearly gasp, because instead of the skin being numb to her smooth trailing, I feel an icy rush on my skin. I shiver at the sensation and she pauses, feeling my skin involuntarily shake. She resumes, sliding upward until her fingertips reach the most damaged spot, right under my eye.

My eyelids flip open, staring at her with wild confusion, while my hand grabs the one on my face. "Katara?" I whisper, but it comes out in a hiss. "What are you doing?" I had to clear my throat, but this time my voice sounds more clear.

"I..." She began, quickly getting flustered. I smirk, watching her squirm. She notices and her face twists angrily. She slams a fist on my chest as she retorts, "I was being stupid. And now I'm leaving." She pulls her hand from mine, and stands, brushing the dirt from her skirt.

"Katara... Don't go. Please." I know I have to get her to accept me, because she really is the decision maker of the group. I stand up, so close to her that it makes my heart race. The light flickers on her cheek, illuminating her icy blue eyes. She's beautiful. The thought surfaces from the depths of my brain, but is sucked right back down as she goes to turn away. "Please." I whisper in her ear and she shivers. I grab her hand again, keeping her from moving.

"Why should I?" She tries to sound cold, but I detect something else in her voice.

"I don't want us to be like this. I don't want you to hate me." I say softly.

She spins around fast. "How can I not!" She shoves me backward. "You betrayed me, Zuko! You made me think that maybe things were going to change and then you turned your back on all of that. You demolished all my hope for you in that cavern!" She shoves me again, harder in her rage. "And you know what's worse? I..." She stops short, panting in her fury.

"You what, Katara?" I smirk again, stepping forward into her. This time, I am determined to get some progress with her. Even if I do have to push some of her boundaries.

She slaps the good side of my face, and my head rolls with the impact. The sting radiates through my whole face. "I hate you." She spits.

"Do you?" I say through clenched teeth. She tenses, sliding into a fighting stance. "What?" I shout throwing my hands up in exasperation. "Is fighting me really going to make you feel better?"

"Actually, beating you will!" She says as a stream of water knocks me off balance and onto my back. She lashes a water whip and me, and I roll, hitting the radio, causing it to play again. Mainly evading her attacks, I shoot fire at her. She dodges easily, which is expected because I took care to ensure my blasts wouldn't do any real damage.

"Don't you go easy on me, you spoiled fire rat!" She says as she launches another strand of water at me. I watch her hands glide in a small circle, and the tendril compacts then stretches. It grabs both of my wrists and pulls me close to her.

_You and I go hard at each other like we're going to war..._

"You sure? I don't think you can!" I try to hide my smile as she turns fifty shades of red from her rage. The water quivers on my wrists and I take her momentary slip to my advantage. Turning in a tight circle, I break through the streams and flip backwards, far out of her reach. I unleash a whip of my own, flaming and angry; she blocks it with a large wave from one of the waterfall pools. When it comes down, I can see all the emotion surging in her eyes.

_You and I go rough, we keep throwin' things and slammin' the door..._

"Is that all you've got?" She glides forward, shooting shards of ice at my face. I shoot fire at each, melting them on contact. I shoot lanes of fire in an arc behind her, making her rush forward. She pushes a wall of water to me, and I have to incase myself in fire to keep from feeling the blow. Steam rises from around me as I come in to her this time, grabbing her left arm tightly. I spin her, so that her back is against my chest.

"You tell me." I smile as I speak into her ear, taking her off guard. I feel her shudder, and then squirms to escape. I use her movements against her, and I slip my foot under her, causing her to fall. She goes down fast, and her head hits the rocks hard. She winces as she hits the ground and lays there, still. "Katara?" Concern fills my voice, and I bend down to help her.

_You and I get so damn dysfunctional, we stopped keepin' score..._

A thick wall of water slaps me first in the face, then hits my entire body, flinging me into one of the pools. She laughs out loud as I fly through the air. "That's not fair!" I yell, scraping myself off the hard rocks. I try not to gasp aloud at the pain running up my right leg.

"Haven't you heard Zuko? All is fair in love and war." She approaches with a confident swing in her hips and a satisfied smile across her lips. "Come on Zuko. This was just getting good!" She unleashes another string of water, sending it into ever crevice of my face. I cough up the water and send a wave of fire onto her.

Starting small and gradually becoming more advanced, quicker and closer, we matched hit for hit, bend for bend. Blaze meets water whip, and mini tycoon meets firewall. She ducks, and I roll. Ice shards melt inches from her fist as my motions get quicker. She picks up speed, and through we don't consciously realize it, we are on the same wavelength. Every hit met and dissolved quickly into steam. An aggressive, rhythmic dance consumes us.

My fire licks at ice dome she uses to catch her breath. I feel the sweat pouring down my face. How long can we keep this up? I take in a huge gasp, and use my breath of fire with the fire blast to break through. As she deflects it, I throw up another wall of fire. We both press forward, holding out our blasts. Then, we extend the walls outward with the same exact thought. "Give up?" She screams around the walls. I can hear both the annoyance and awe in her voice. She has to strain her voice, the breath wavering, panting.

_You and I get sick, yah, I know that we can't do this no more._

"Never!" I grunt through the lie. "You?" We met, clouds of steam rise to swirl the sky in billowing puffs. Pushing the elements harder on each side, We move closer and closer to each other, though we're unaware of the lessening distance because we are focusing on trying to outsmart the other. I can feel the steam, just inches from my face.

My arms cripple from exhaustion, and my fire disappears from the field. I brace myself, expecting to be knocked back again, but the water is just pooled on the floor. Through the steam, I see Katara bent over sucking in as much oxygen as she can hold. Without thinking, I dive through the pillars of steam, and take her to the ground. "Let go!" She screams, flailing under my arms.

_But baby there you again, there you again making me love you_

"Say you don't hate me!"

"I don't..." She grunts, I can feel her tense unwillingly.

I sigh a bit, and blow the hair out of my face, defeated. She naturally sees me deflate and she takes her knee and rams it straight into my stomach. "Ugh." The disgusting sound rolls from my lips. I feel myself dizzy, and a burning sensation crawls up the back of my throat. Katara flings me onto my back, taking care to pin down both my arms and legs. She leans close to my face, panting, and I realize how drained she is.

_Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head let it all go_

Her chocolate-colored long hair falls down into my face, tickling my cheeks. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so beautiful. The thought hits me, and I realize I've been thinking it all along. A bead of sweat rolls from her forehead. Even sweaty and enraged she's stunning. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest as I study her. Her skin shimmers in the dull light, and her eyes are shut showing a million long eyelashes. Then her lips. Right now, they gape open, taking air in and out. They are a peachy pink, and a perfect cupid's bow. She subconsciously bites down on the bottom lip, then lets it go. I can hear my heart beating in my ears, as I take a deep breath. Do it. I dare myself. Slowly, I crane my neck upward and press my lips against hers.

**AN: Gosh! It's been a while since I updated! I truly forgot about this story! Thanks and shout out to vero1092 for reminding me! I hope to update again soon! **

**3 KDior**

**Song: Maroon 5**


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